The Cary Road Race is by far my favorite race. This is the third year in a row i have run it, and i will probably continue with this race for the forseeable future. I love this race because a) it’s extremely well-run and organized, b) home base is the koka booth ampitheater which means plenty of parking and very large bathrooms, c) 8:30 start means you don’t have to get up at the buttcrack of dawn to get there, d) 6 miles is a very comfortable distance for me, e) the course is almost entirely flat and downhill. There is one steep hill about a third of a mile in length, which you hit twice as the course is basically running the 5K twice.
In 2009, my time was 1:04:43. In 2010 my goal was to beat the previous time, and i was about a minute faster with 1:03:55. I hoped that one day i would beat one hour. This year, with my diligent training, i knew i would beat one hour and in fact set my goal at 58:30. I really thought this would be an attainable but not “easy” goal.
Race morning was great. I got plenty of sleep the night before, and got up at 7 to get all my gear together. Ate a banana and got on the road. Arrived before 8. Parking is pretty nice at this race, but i got lucky with a very close spot. I ran in and got my race bib and timing chip, then pack to the car to deposit my loot and sweatshirt before my warmup. It is overcast and a bit chilly, maybe 50 degrees. As i was locking the car, i realized i didn’t have a place for my keys. These shorts i had put on (not one of my usual pairs), had NO pockets. Lame! And i hadn’t brought my race belt to this race. At first i tried tucking my keys half in and half out of the waistband of my shorts. I’ve done that before, but i’m always very self conscious of them. Not today – i don’t want to be worrying about keys during this race. So, i glanced around – no one there – and put my keys on top of one of my tires, near the inside rim. Not visible unless you are 3 years old and eye-level with the tire. It should work.
Warmup for 15 minutes – very slow jog around the parking lots. I have plenty of company, including a guy in a red tank top whose warmup pace looks effortless for him, and also looks faster than my real race pace. I wonder if he is a contender to place.
Last minute pit-stop (the bathrooms are right near the start, and did i mention there are PLENTY of them so there are no lines?) and then to the start. Brief stretching while waiting, and then we’re off! I got a place nearish to the front, i’m guessing about 6-9 seconds from the leaders. That’s about the only negative thing i can say about this race – no mats near the start, so the only time you get is the “gun time” instead of getting an individual “chip time”.
Mile 1: I started off reasonably for once, not too fast, not letting the people around me rush me. Mentally i knew i shouldn’t wear myself out in the first half mile b/c i would need some energy for The Hill, which is midway through this first mile. I’ve been dreading this hill and wondering how much it was going to wreck my time. But it wasn’t as bad as i remembered. It is steep for maybe a quarter-mile, and then levels off. At the mile-marker, i heard the time-caller call out 9:30, and my watch confirmed i was 8-9 seconds behind the official clock. 9:22
Mile 2: Glad to have The Hill behind me, and glad that my time for Mile 1 was respectable, i stretched my legs a bit during the second mile. At the turnaround, it felt good to be heading downhill again. Grabbed a quick gulp of water, and let gravity take over to help speed me down the hill. The cutoff to start around the lake comes at the bottom of the hill, and i nearly trip (but don’t) over my feet as i’m stepping from the road to the sidewalk. 8:48
Mile 3: Around the lake. It’s pretty, even though it’s a bit dreary out today. I’ve started to identify a few people who are familiar around me, and i will continue to see many of them through the rest of the race. Kept up a good pace for the first part of this mile. But in the second half, i checked myself, and forced myself to slow down a bit. The Hill was coming again soon and i needed to conserve a little energy for that. So a few people passed me, but that’s OK. Ran past my car, glad to see it’s still there. I heard the time-caller yell out 27:30 at the 3 mile mark. 9:22
Mile 4: Doing my mental math (so hard for me during a run), i realize that if i add about a minute for the extra .1 miles, my pace is a 28:30 5K. That means i can do the second half in 30 minutes and still meet my 58:30 goal. Grabbed a quick bit of water at the turnaround. I’m pretty well hydrated, however, and it’s nice and cool today. We see the leaders heading off around the lake, including red-shirt guy from my warmup. The Hill actually seemed a little easier the second time, as i’m more warmed up and more in the zone. 9:34
Mile 5: It is still slightly uphill to the turnaround, but you can hardly call any of these measley hills “uphill”. After The Hill, they seem easy. Grabbing another quick sip of water before heading back downhill. As we break to the left to go around the lake, i realize we are nearly done, and i still feel really good. 8:55
Mile 6: Now i know i’m going to beat my goal time by a fair amount. Around the lake i am see-sawing with some folks i have come to think of as my companions. The path is fairly dense with my runner friends. On the far side of the lake, we pass the ampitheater, and i see red-shirt guy standing there. Someone asks if he won – no, he was second. Back onto the street there is a small hill and a temptation to slow down, but i power through. My car is still in its spot, whew! 8:36
Final .2: I never saw the 6-mile marker, but i know i’m almost done. Breathing hard now, i go for a fast finish. It is a long .2, though. I pick up the pace a little more, glad for my intense training sessions b/c i am familiar with this kind of burn, and as i’m rounding the curve into the finish, i see one of my co-workers that i would never have expected to see who sees me and cheers. Up into the finish and across the line. 1:57
Total time (by my watch): 56:40.
What a race! I am of course ecstatic to have beaten my goal time by nearly two minutes. A year ago i never would have expected to be able to run this distance in this amount of time.
Found my co-worker and learned his wife and son had just crossed also, so i only saw him briefly. He was in the happiest mood i’ve ever seen – how fun to see a completely different side of someone you see every day.
Coach B told me later she had an inkling that my goal was a bit conservative. She was very happy for me, though. “Must be nice to PR all your races!” It certainly is!
Results:
Place Bib Name S Ag City St Time Pace
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146 197 AUDREY VENTURA F 32 RALEIGH NC 56:49 9:09
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I even placed 4/17 among females aged 30-34!
Tags: running
